Custom Eustreptospondylus model.

A custom model of the Therapod Dinosaur Eustreptospondylus made using polymer clay and a wire skeleton.

[@justjurassic1423]

Great work mate

[@ScrubwoodStudios]

Thanks 👍

[@Giganotoraptor2014]

4:21 colour scale thingy I like that name 😅😊❤

[@ScrubwoodStudios]

Clearly a very technical term ;)

[@Giganotoraptor2014]

My one piece of advice is to rap it in tin foil to make it look chubby so you don't use to much clay

[@ScrubwoodStudios]

I did that with my previous model, but because this one was quite small I decided to just put the clay straight on.

[@Giganotoraptor2014]

@@ScrubwoodStudios OK

[@martontoth2063]

I know I'm a bit late but I'll try to sum up what helped me to improve (Though short and concise is something I'm not). 1. Get more familiar with their anatomy (and a bit with anatomy in general). Where do certain muscles attach or how would a certain bone look like in 3D for eg. . (On a related note, those bony rings in the eye-sockets tell you how big the whole eye was, though the visible part should be much smaller. They should also be inside of the skull and not bulge out of it that much) 2. Try to build it up from smaller pieces of clay to the exact shape you want it to be rather than trying to shape the bigger chunks of clay (at least this is what it looks like to me without seeing the whole creation process). And you can do this in multiple stages since polymer clay can be baked multiple times. I usually start with a generalized "skeleton" than add the major muscles and than wrap it up in connective tissue and skin (This way you can also adjust the pose of the creature too before finalizing it, so it may better stand on two legs). I also tend to start the limbs and skull separately and only attach them later to the body (same goes for claws, teeth, eyeballs etc.). You can also use thinner wire for the fingers and toes so it is easier to sculpt and position them. It is also easier to work with smaller amounts of clay in my experience. Reiterating the other comments, I too would advise you to use tinfoil, masking tape or something as filler even for smaller models, you will save up a lot of clay in the long run. For the skin you can make some imprinting tools if you don't like making the individual scales (though the latter looks way better in my opinion). And use a spray varnish, I don't remember losing details to that. At the end of the day, if you are happy with your work that's all that matters. Just keep it up and you will improve anywayz 👍. (As for obscure theropods I'd like to see: a megaraptorid, some kind of abelisaurid other than Carnotaurus, and Yangchuanosaurus but the larger speciemen with the oversized head)

[@ScrubwoodStudios]

Better late than never. A very interesting set of feedback. My knowledge of anatomy in general could use some work. (not sure exactly how) The eyes are definitely too bulging. (Normally that isn't as much of a problem because I use peal head pins with the spike cut off, but they were to big for this project.) My main issue with re-baking the clay alot is that it seems to be susceptible to cracking and I worry that constantly rebaking isn't helping. I could be completely wrong though. My main problem with adding the limbs seperately after it is baked is that that requires either re-baking (See above) or superglue, (I UTTERLY HATE superglue.) I Actually do have a couple of texture stamps I made, I used one for this but if the result isn't satisfactory I might have too bite the bullet and sculpt every blasted scale, (Or stick to making things without such integument.) Spray on varnish might be a good idea. As for other things to make, I kinda went back on what I said in this video and did an amphibian next anyway lol, my mind can be pretty random when it comes to these things.

[@martontoth2063]

​@@ScrubwoodStudios I would start by looking at musculature reconstructions and skeletons (preferably 3D) of extinct animals and compare them to those of extant ones and how those extant animals look and move while alive (for eg. looking at ostriches helped me to better understand the theropod ankle and feet) as well as some lighter reads (blogs or books if you have the means) and videos about the subject (along the lines of 'Paleoart' and 'Anatomy for Artists'). But to be fair, I've studied biology so I needed the specifics more so than the general knowledge. (I think The Palaeoartist's Handbook from Mark Witton is a really good start if you can access it one way or another, but he has a great blog to read too) What kind/brand of clay do you use? I use Fimo (cuz that's the only easily available one where I live) but I had very little problem with cracking. It cracks on occasion but usually very small cracks and mostly when I re-bake them way-way too many times (I would bake them 5-8 times without too much concern). I had Original Sculpey once, it was too soft to work with for my liking and was prone to burn when re-baked (also was more fragile when baked, not sure about cracking), but I have heard that Super Sculpy is good though. It really might jut be the video, but the scale textures are barely visible. Try to smooth out the skin a bit and maybe use a finer texture stamp (counter productive it may sound). Personally I don't use texture stamps cuz I was not satisfied with my results but I've seen others use it to greater success. But if carving the scales in one by one kills your enjoyment there is really no point in it. Experiment with it and see what fits for you. Detaching the limbs is more of a personal preference. I feel i have more control over the parts/less things get in my tools way when working with them. Also I tend to make smaller scale models (usually 1:50) so in certain poses I could not even access certain parts like the palms of the hand and such if I could not detach them. Good luck with your next sculpt.

[@ScrubwoodStudios]

@@martontoth2063 The clay I currently use is super sculpey medium, I used to use fimo but that went hard after sitting in a draw for over a year, so I decided to try super sculpey medium which I have found to be softer and easier to work with but is definitely more brittle once baked so I'm not sure wether to switch back or potentially use some kind of hybrid system (using diferent clays for main body/fine details.)

[@Primal_Films]

Good video.

[@ScrubwoodStudios]

Thanks!

[@Jurassicexplores]

One thing tho, try smoothing out the texture and making details on it

[@ScrubwoodStudios]

By that do you mean I should sculpt each scale individually? if so thats a LOT of work. There already is some skin detail, but it's a little hard to make out on camera, it also gets slightly lost under the varnish.

[@Jurassicexplores]

I don’t know man, the figure just looks like rocks 😂

[@ScrubwoodStudios]

Hmmmm, so more defined scale and skin detail then?

[@Jurassicexplores]

Yes

[@Giganotoraptor2014]

Hi😊

[@ScrubwoodStudios]

hi

[@Giganotoraptor2014]

@@ScrubwoodStudios yo